Allowing Them to Spread Their Wings Teaches Them to Fly

I love my job!

Every week I have the opportunity to sit among the greatest minds. I am awed and wowed at their capacity to dream beyond anything I could imagine. These people inspire me, and they excite me. They come to the conversation and they are convicted and passionate.

They are students.

I visit dozens of classrooms each week. I love the teachers I meet, but the students – especially the youngest ones – WOW!

You know what I mean. 3-year-olds will stop you in the grocery store to say “this is who I am, what I’m all about, where I want to be, and get out of my way because I’m going to change the world.” What percent of 3-5 year olds have that kind of passion? Close to 100%? 99.99999%?

Now think of the high school and graduate students…are they that confident/convicted?

 Twenty-some years ago, when these incredible young’s minds sat in front of me on a daily basis in my classroom, I found resources to share with them. If a student said to me, “I believe I can fly someday” (and they do believe that, don’t they?), maybe I could find a library book, a page in the encyclopedia, or maybe a movie on the subject – but certainly not for their age.

With the tools today, with a click they can interact with an astronaut. They can follow an astronaut using Twitter or other online social tools about his experience on what it is like to be an astronaut — in REAL TIME! By putting these tools in their hands and eyes, we allow them to spread their wings globally — even universally.

WOW!

It’s about showing kids they have the competency and capacity to do whatever they want. By the time you get it into a textbook, it’s already out of date and the dream is done for a five year-old.

How are you using some of these tools to keep the fires of learning hot, or re-igniting some to rekindle their love of learning?

Photo on Flickr by woodleywonderworks | Screenshot on Twitter by @Astro_Mike